Research published today in the journal Nature throws cold water on the theory that iron-rich nerve cells in birds' bills help them navigate using Earth's magnetic field. Rather than finding magnetic nerve cells in pigeons, the authors of the paper found specialized white blood cells that help birds fend off infection. I've summarized the research in a new post on our blog: http://cs.birdwatchingdaily.com/BRDCS/blogs/field_of_view/archive/2012/04/11/New-study-overturns-prevailing-theory-of-how-birds-navigate.aspx -- Matt Mendenhall Associate Editor, BirdWatching Brookfield, Waukesha County http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com http://twitter.com/mdmendenhall #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn
